In the past few decades, development economists have come to understand that the key driver of growth is honest government, and that the most reliable guarantor of honest government is democracy. Why is this? Because sooner or later non-democratic governments subvert the rule of law by firing the judges who stand up to them. The judges that survive this purge are cowards. After that, judges start giving judgements not based not on the law, but on which party is scarier. Investors realise this and investment dries up.

What are the rules a society needs to adopt to get an honest government?

• The freedom of speech in print and broadcast media, with private ownership of most TV and radio stations;

• The right to a fair trial, and the protections of habeas corpus, prohibiting torture, and prohibiting military tribunals for civilians (military justice is to justice, what military music is to music);

• The legislative branch, including members of the opposition, should exert oversight over the executive branch;

• Disallowing the executive branch from claiming exemption from legislative oversight because of national security;

• Requiring the president and prime minister to take questions in parliament every week, and broadcasting this live on TV;

• Having regular elections.

In Pakistan, it seems so far away. How will we get there? The first sensible thing seems to be to get organised. We might start by creating a website (or possibly several, some of them based abroad to confound the censors, there could even be a facebook page). The American Freedom Campaign has a website that suggests actions for citizens to take. Someone should create a Pakistani Freedom Campaign. There should be a discussion of what actions are to be taken, these actions should be listed on the site, and we should do the things listed on these sites.

The action items should start small and then turn up the heat. Start by visiting or calling our elected representatives, have our friends abroad write to their representatives, start blogs and debates on the internet. If you're a school teacher or a parent, teach your kids civics. If you work in a multi-national or development organisation, talk to your bosses to talk to their bosses about turning up the heat on this government.

All of us should talk to our friends in the military and try to convince them that the emergency is not good for either the nation or the army. Journalists should continue to write articles and opinion pieces. Activists should continue their courageous work and ask for more international activists - who are much more politically costly to imprison- to come help them. We should attend the planned rallies, whether Benazir attends or not.

And soon we should be disruptive, and make a nuisance of ourselves till the government lifts the emergency and has an election. Let's make the rallies more disruptive. Let's clog the governments fax machines, clog their emails, clog their phone lines. And then take on the multinationals: clog their faxes and phones, threaten to buy shares and disrupt their meetings if they don't stop investing in Pakistan. Write to people at the World Bank, the IMF, USAID and DfID and tell them if they're not part of the solution, they're part of the problem. Tell them to stop their programs or face the same music. Make the World Bank and the IMF promise to never hire the collaborators of this regime.

Start a disinvestment campaign: if we could end apartheid, we can get rid of this comedian. Move your money abroad. Sell your stocks. If you get a rishta from the army, say no.

If you have a boyfriend in the army dump him - or at least go on a sex strike till the emergency ends. Hell, you could even do this if you had a husband in the army. If you have a dad in the army get a boyfriend that annoys him. If you're in the army quit. If you're in the Pakistani cricket team, quit - or at least drop your catches.

Collect photographs of policemen who are seen to beat protesters. Keep them on file and promise to investigate them for corruption when the courts return. Promise the same to the worst collaborators in this repressive moment. How many of them are honest enough to be unafraid of an investigation? Block the roads to the airports. Get the truckers to strike. You'll find it surprising how fragile is that intangible beloved of all 21st-century governments: "a friendly investment climate".

These actions are not unpatriotic because there's a thief in your house - they wouldn't be unpatriotic if the British recolonised Pakistan, would they? It matters little if your colonial master has a brown face. And these actions are all reversible the moment you get him out.

When there is an election, political parties should contest the elections, not hand the general a huge majority in a pliant legislature. The general will try to rig it, but there are ways of minimising the effects of rigging. But that's another story.

Second, it is time to bury our political differences. All of us - secular or Islamist, socialist or capitalist - should agree that the emergency is to be lifted, the judges are to be reinstated, political prisoners are to be freed, and the absurd charges of sedition and treason are to be dropped. Now. Not after the elections, not January, not December. Now. And for ever.

We can, and should, return to our political differences, and debate them, and have the electorate decide on them. But we should agree on the rules, and never disagree about them again. We must remember that the bedrock of all our freedoms is having regular, free and fair elections. To say that a misdeed of a democratic government is an argument for suspending democracy is as absurd as saying that a misdeed of a Pakistani government is an argument for suspending Pakistan and merging with India. Got your attention? The two statements are not logically different. And until we respond to one with the same venom as we respond to the other, no matter what the misdeed is, we won't live in a democracy. And sooner or later you wont live in Pakistan. And we won't deserve to.

But don't overestimate the power of parchment, the constitution may protect you but the constitution won't protect itself. The constitution of integrity is not written on paper, but on the hearts of men. So, is it in you?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I sent this article to Dawn, and they said they would love to publish it but couldn't under the circumstances.